The active compound in lion’s mane mushroom could boost nerve growth and enhance memory, according to a new study published in the Journal of Neurochemistry.

Professor Frederic Meunier from Australia’s Queensland Brain Institute said the team identified new active compounds from the mushroom, called Hericium erinaceus, while exploring the mushroom’s effect on the brain. “Extracts from these so-called ‘lion’s mane’ mushrooms have been used in traditional medicine in Asian countries for centuries, but we wanted to scientifically determine their potential effect on brain cells,” Meunier said in a statement.

In pre-clinical testing, the researchers found the lion’s mane mushroom had a significant impact on the growth of brain cells and improving memory. Laboratory tests measured the neurotrophic effects of compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus on cultured brain cells and found that the active compounds promote neuron projections, extending and connecting to other neurons.

“Using super-resolution microscopy, we found the mushroom extract and its active components largely increase the size of growth cones, which are particularly important for brain cells to sense their environment and establish new connections with other neurons in the brain,” Meunier said.

Can mushroom help Alzheimer’s disease?

Co-author Ramon Martinez-Marmol of the University of Queensland said the discovery has applications that could treat and protect against neurodegenerative cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Dae Hee Lee from healthcare company CNGBio Co, which has supported and collaborated on the research project, said the properties of lion’s mane mushrooms had been used to treat ailments and maintain health in traditional Chinese medicine since before the Middle Ages.

“This important research is unraveling the molecular mechanism of lion’s mane mushroom compounds and their effects on brain function, particularly memory,” Lee said in a statement.

Mushroom may lower risk of depression

This isn’t the first time researchers linked mushrooms with certain health benefits. A study published in the scientific publication Journal of Affective Disorders in 2021 found that people who eat mushrooms could have a lower risk of experiencing depression. Read more: https://shorturl.at/jxABO